Remember the past
by osuwariboy
Summary: [one-shot] 70 years after the dreadful battle with Naraku and the completion of the shikon jewel, Kagome goes to visit the tombs of her friends who fell during the battle and remembers the event that lead to their demise. (reposted with minor corrections)


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha and the gang, honestly who on this site does anyway!

**Note:** I used to be osuwari24 but for some god forsaken reason, my pen name stopped working. It's a bit frustrating, but there's not much I can do about it. Now for those of you who are wondering, I already posted this story, but found some typos along the way so I'm posting it again with the corrections. It's sad so be warned he he.

* * *

The elderly lady lying quietly on a futon looked at the bright sky outside her window with a dreamy look for a few seconds before a coughing fit racked her body. As if on cue, the door to her room opened to reveal a young girl of sixteen or so in the traditional red and white outfit of a miko. 

"Kagome-sama, are you alright" asked the young girl with obvious concern.

"I'll be fine Kyoko, thank you" answered the old lady.

"That's not true… I see you grow weaker by the day and I can't do anything to stop it" shot the young girl with tears in her blue eyes. "Please, you have to live Kagome-sama, everyone in this village looks up to you" she pleaded again.

"We must all die one day, do not let my departure sadden you" answered the elder priestess with a smile on her face. "Is Shippo coming soon" she asked again after a small silence.

"He should be here in about an hour" said Kyoko, trying to dry the tears that fell down her face.

"As expected of him, he would not miss this day if his life depended on it" whispered Kagome. "Kyoko, would you help me dress please" asked the old miko before another coughing fit racked her body.

"But you're too weak, you must stay in bed" protested the young girl.

At this the elderly lady only smiled and laughed softly. "You've known me for close to eight years now. You should know by now that today is a very special day for me and that I never miss it, no matter my condition" said the old miko.

"Yes" sighed Kyoko. "You always go visit the four tombs on the outskirt of town" she finished with a hunch of her shoulders. "But, if I may ask… What exactly is so special about them" she asked as she started to rummage through the dresser for the older woman's cloths.

"Do you know of the shikon jewel" asked Kagome.

"I believe that it was a very powerful jewel that could increase a demon's power. I heard it was purified some 70 years ago though" answered the young miko a bit puzzled.

"Do you know that it was also fragmented into hundreds of pieces" questionned the older woman again.

"Yes I heard that too, it was eventually pieced together by a group of warrior and they also fought an incredible beast named Naraku to the death in order to recover the very last piece. Rumors say that none survived the onslaught" said Kyoko.

"So already the stories are beginning to diverge from the truth" said Kagome in a dreamy voice, causing a confused look to appear on the young girl's face. "Not all of them died in the fight, in fact… two are still alive to this date" answered the old miko.

"Really? But they must be old right now, I mean these events took place 70 years ago right" said Kyoko a bit surprised by the knowledge displayed in the old priestess before her.

"So long… 70 years is such a long time" whispered Kagome as she fingered the purple beads of the rosary around her neck.

The young miko watched as the eyes of her mentor glazed over. She knew then that what she saw was not the room she was currently in but something buried deep in her memory. _"Wait… could it be? No way"_ she thought.

"Kagome-sama… were you one of the people that fought that beast" she asked not daring to believe what she was saying.

"Huh" said the old miko snapping out of her reverie. "Yes… I was there, I was the one who delt the finishing blow. But it took so much, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and…" she choked as she got to the last name and a tear slipped down her wrinkled face. "Inuyasha, they all died so that I could fire my one remaining arrow and end it all" she finished in a whisper as the memory replayed itself in her mind.

-Flashback-

_"Dammit" panted Inuyasha. "This isn't working! As long as he has the jewel inside his body, we can't even approach him" he said in frustration._

_Blood was spurting from numerous wounds on his body, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to give up so easily. Anyway, they were all in the same state, even Kagome had her share. Naraku was just too powerful for them._

_"Kagome-sama, we need to know where the jewel is, please tell us" pleaded the monk, out of breath as well._

"Why, why can't I see it, it's like it's been completely corrupted by the evil inside Naraku"_ she thought frustrated as she looked intently at their enemy. And suddenly, she saw it, a very faint glow of pink, almost unnoticable. "His lower chest, that's where it is" she exclaimed._

_"Good of you to actually find it girl, but it won't do you much good since you can't even get close to me" taunted the evil hanyou before launching his next attack._

_An endless swarm of tentacles rushed toward the group forming an impenetrable wall effectively preventing them from reaching their target. They started to fight back, but it was obvious that it was a losing battle because as soon as they destroyed one, it immediately regenerated and ten more came to help it._

_"I've had enough of this" yelled Inuyasha. "Kaze no kizu" he cried and sent a wave of energy toward the tentacles and destroyed most of them temporarily. "Now" he simply snapped before rushing toward Naraku, Sango, Miroku and Kirara following close behind._

_"Die" said Naraku simply as he threw a tentacle as the rushing hanyou._

_Inuyasha didn't have time to dodge and it pierced right through his chest. He didn't stop however, he sliced the appendage with the Tessaiga and kept going strong. The two people and the cat demon behind him preventing any tentacle from getting close to him._

_"I have you now, Naraku" yelled the hanyou as he plunged his sword in the chest of a wide eyed demon._

_The jewel popped out of his body and clattered on the ground. This caused all of the regenerating tentacles to dissolve, leaving the group to breath a small sigh of relief. It wasn't over though, not by a long shot as Naraku recovered quickly from the blow he had just received. He managed to seize all but Kagome by the throat and lift them off the ground._

_"I applaud your effort, but it's going to take more than this to destroy me" said the demon before plunging tentacles in each captive's chest and discarding them like they were nothing at all._

_"Now then my dear" he said maliciously, as his gaze shifted to Kagome. "It's your turn" and he began to walk slowly to a paralyzed miko._

_He had only taken a step before three sets of arms grabbed him firmly and prevented him from going any further. "This is futile" he said before ejecting some jyaki with the intention of killing the three people who were holding him in place. To his surprise, none of them let go, in fact, they held him even stronger than before._

_"Kagome" hacked Inuyasha. "Shoot now, shoot while we hold him still" cried the hanyou._

_The schoolgirl felt tears well up in her eyes at seeing her friends in this condition. She knew then that none of them would survive, the wounds they had received were too severe, even for Inuyasha. She was determined though not to let their effort be in vain and it was with a cold determination that she tucked her last arrow and took aim._

_"Naraku" she yelled in a icy tone. "Die" she cried as she let her arrow fly._

_The evil hanyou couldn't even dodge the uncoming projectile and it was with wide eyes that it hit him square in the chest. The resulting explosion was phenomenal and it threw everyone some twenty meters apart at least. It took a few minutes for the schoolgirl to come out of her daze. The first thing she noticed was Shippo crying profusely against her chest._

_"Shippo" she murmured as her head spun like crazy._

_"Kagome, they're dead, they're all dead" screamed the little kitsune hysterically._

_The schoolgirl took the crying kitsune in her arms and hugged him tightly murmuring small words of comfort that she didn't really feel. She then stood up and proceeded to go to all the corpses present. All of them were battered and bruised and none had any life left in them. They all had a peaceful expression on their face though and it was a small comfort to know that they left no regret behind._

_When she got to Inuyasha, she knelt slowly and cupped his face with her hand gently. She wiped some blood and matted hair from his face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "It's over Inuyasha, you can rest in peace now" she said softly as tears welled up in her eyes again._

_And suddenly she couldn't hold it in any longer, she broke down completely and started to sob. She hugged Shippo even tighter than before, like he was her last lifeline. It took a long time for her to calm down, but eventually the tears died down. She looked down at the sobbing bundle in her arms and found a glimmer of strenght come back to her. "Shippo" she called softly. Seeing the teary eyes of the kitsune settle on her face, she continued. "We'll make it through this, I promise" she whispered. _

_"But…" sniffed the little kitsune, his face full of doubts._

_"Shippo, they died so that we could live, we can't let that sacrifice be in vain. It's the duty of those left behind to remember the ones that fell in battle" she explained._

_"But when you leave for your time, I'll be all alone" cried the child._

_"I'm not leaving Shippo, I'll use the jewel to seal off the well forever and this way something like this is never going to happen again" she said reassuringly._

_The little kitsune looked at the schoolgirl intently to see if she was lying, but he could not detect any sign of deception. Finally, a shaky smile graced his lips. "Mom…" he whispered before burying his face in her chest._

_"My… son" answered the schoolgirl as she hugged the little kitsune._

-End flashback-

A while later, she had gone to her time and explained everything to her family. It was a teary episode and the goodbyes were extremely difficult. She couldn't stay in the present though, Shippo needed her and she wanted to stay at her dead friend's side. So she had jumped one last time through the bone eater's well and had used the jewel.

"I'm sorry Kagome-sama, I didn't mean to make you relive those painful memories" said the young miko a bit ashamed of herself.

"It's alright my dear, these memories are precious to me and I wouldn't trade them for the world" answered the old woman as she wiped a tear that had trailed down her cheeks.

Kyoko was saved from answering by the noise of the front door opening. "Mother, I'm here" called a man's voice.

"I'll go and greet Shippo-san, will you be able to finish dressing alone Kagome-sama" asked Kyoko.

"Yes, go ahead, I'll be there in a few minutes" said the old miko with a reassuring smile.

The young girl bowed and left her. As soon as she was gone, another coughing fit racked Kagome's body and it took every ounce of her strenght just to keep standing. "Not just yet" she panted. "Just one more time please, I want to see them one last time" she pleaded to the invisible angel of death that was growing ever closer to her.

True to her words, a few minutes later, she emerged from her room and walked slowly to the common room where she knew Shippo and Kyoko would be waiting. They were idly conversing and they stopped once she got in sight.

"Mother, it's good to see you again" said the grown kitsune as he got to his feet.

"Yes, it has been quite some time now, how are Soten and the kids" she answered smiling tenderly at her adopted child.

"I'm proud to say that all are in splendid health" he said with a bit of pride in his voice and a happy smile on his face.

He quickly sombered up though and it was in a more serious tone that he continued. "Shall we get going" he asked the old miko.

"Yes, let us be on our way" answered Kagome.

The fox youkai and the young girl then proceeded to help Kagome put her shoes on as she was too weak to bend down and tie them herself. When it was done, Kyoko made a move to follow them, but Kagome stopped her. "No Kyoko, I would like to be alone with Shippo this time" said the old miko.

The young girl opened her mouth to protest but she saw the pleading gleam in the old woman's eyes and swallowed back her objection. "As you wish Kagome-sama, just be careful, I beg you" said Kyoko as she looked at the ground to hide her quickly watering eyes.

"Do not worry my dear, as long as Shippo is with me, nothing could possibly befall me" answered Kagome, smiling again at the young girl before heading out slowly with the fox demon.

The young girl waited until both were out of sight before breaking down in tears. She cried because she knew, she had seen the disease eat away at the old woman and she just knew that she would not be coming back from this little trip. _"Please Kami-sama… If there ever was a soul that deserved happiness Kagome-sama is this soul so please, grant her this at least,_" she prayed softly as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

On the outskirt of town, Shippo suddenly broke the silence that had envelopped him and his foster mother since they had left the house. "You're not going to make it are you" he asked somberly.

"I'm afraid not, it would appear that my time has finally come" answered the old woman with an unreadable look on her face.

"She was crying you know, that young girl, Kyoko" said the youkai.

"I know, she cared about me so much but… I wanted to be alone with my family… just this once" spoke the old woman softly.

"Mother, words can not express how grateful I am about everything you've done for me" whispered the kitsune on the verge of tears.

"Shippo, I may never have been your real mother, but I loved you like you were my own and I will always do" said the old woman serenely. "The bond between us will never be broken, just like the bond between Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Kirara still remains even after all those years" she finished.

"Mother… Can I ask for a last favor" he said softly.

"Of course, as long as it is within my power" said the old woman with a smile.

"I would like you to hug me one last time, like you used to do so long ago to comfort me" he mumbled a little embarassed by his own demand.

A look of surprise flashed on the old woman's face before a tender smile appeared on her face. "Shippo…" she murmured before encircling him with her arms.

It might have been a magic trick or just the atmosphere, but for the two people standing by the road, it felt like 70 years had suddenly evaporated from their respective lives and for a brief instant, they were the little kitsune and the schoolgirl once again.

"Mom…" whispered the kitsune.

"My… son" answered the old woman.

* * *

It was a while later that the two finally made their way to the tombs that held their friend's ashes. At Kagome's request, Shippo stayed a little in the back as she offered her prayers to her departed friends. 

_"Sango, Miroku, Kirara, I've come again this year"_ she prayed softly. _"I hope that your souls have found true peace in all this time, even you Miroku, who couldn't keep your hands to yourself"_ she continued with a small smile. _"I'll be joining you soon my friends, this old body does not have long to go I'm afraid"_ she finished more somberly.

She then turned to Inuyasha's tomb. She always reserved a special prayer for the hanyou because of the place he held in her heart. _"Inuyasha… "_ she began as a slight breeze tickled the nape of her neck.

_"Kagome…"_

This caused her to raise her head in surprise. She could swear that she had heard her name being called on the wind. Yet as she looked around she could see nothing out of the ordinary. She was about to close her eyes again to continue her prayer when another breeze swirled around her lightly.

_"Kagome…"_

It came again, stronger this time and she could even recognise the voice that had spoken. "Inuyasha" she whispered as tears welled up in her eyes.

And there he was, exactly as she remembered him, wearing his traditional fire rat haori and looking at her with tender golden eyes. He slowly kneeled in front of her and cupped her face with his hand gently.

"Kagome… I missed you so much" he murmured as a lone tear slipped down his cheek.

"Oh Inuyasha" cried the old woman before throwing herself in his waiting arms. She cried then, cried like she never cried before. 70 years of longing and loneliness were slowly pouring out of her as she simply allowed his presence to overwhelm her. His scent, his feel, everything was exactly as she remembered it from all those decades ago. One thing was different though, he wasn't trying to stop her tears, he was just comforting her as she got over the fact that she had finally been reunited with him.

After a long time, the tears finally stopped and she relaxed in his strong arms. "You must really find me ugly now, all old and wrinkled" she said eventually.

The hanyou put a finger under her chin and gently lifted it up so that she could meet his eyes. "You're more beautiful than ever" he murmured before placing his lips on hers in a sweet kiss.

This caused bolts of electricity to course through Kagome's body. She had dreamed of this for years now and yet reality managed to surpass all her expectations. No words could describe the happiness she felt at this precise moment and just like with Shippo, she could feel seven decades of her life simply draining away from her. She was once again the schoolgirl who had hopelessly fallen in love with a hanyou from the sengoku jidai.

When they broke apart, she noticed that he was looking at her with an amused expression. Seeing her confused look, he simply chuckled and lowered his eyes slightly. Following his gaze, she noticed that she was no longer dressed in a miko outfit, but in her old school uniform. Her eyes widened in surprise and she lightly touched her face only to meet smooth skin where there used to be rough and wrinkled one.

"I told you you were more beautiful than ever" he said with laughter in his eyes.

"But then this means…" she began before whirling around. She could see it then, the empty shell that had once been her body. It was lying on the ground with a peaceful and happy expression on its face.

"I'm dead" she whispered a bit unnerved by the idea.

"It's alright Kagome, you'll get used to it after a time, it's not really that different from being alive" he said while draping an arm around her shoulder.

"So are you ready to go" he asked suddenly.

"Go? Where exactly" she questionned confused.

"Well there's a certain perverted monk, a demon slayer and a small cat youkai that have been waiting 70 years to see you again" he answered with a smile.

"They're all here" She said, suddenly feeling excited at the prospect of seeing her old friends again.

"Yep. And they can hardly wait for you to come" he said again with a smile.

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting shall we" she answered grinning too.

At the edge of the clearing, Shippo watched as the body of his foster mother fell to the ground. He waited again as he felt the spiritual energy of Kagome's soul meet with another and linger for a while over her dead corpse. He didn't know for sure whose it was but he had a pretty good idea. Only when he felt the two slowly rise into the heaven and disappear completely that he allowed himself to get closer and kneel in front of the tombs.

"Don't worry, people may forget the sacrifice you all made, but I will never do that. I will always remember your courage, your strength and most of all the love we all had for each other. You will always be in my heart" he said solemnly.

He then stood up and picked up the corpse of his dead foster mother. As he headed for the village, he offered one last silent prayer. "Take good care of Kagome you guys, because one day… we'll all be together again."

* * *

**Author's note:** Well I'm all out of handkerchief., god it's tough to write sad story, but it's so much fun he he. Anyway read and review people :) 


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